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Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo 2014

Discussion in 'Australia' started by Jabiru96, 9 Jan 2014.

  1. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    It seems they did separate stock and or in the interval some of these individuals may have died or moved to other collections. Admixing may have occurred ...

    Hix, we are talking full species now in Chelonoidis sp. (the more ancient and now correct scientific nomenclature). So, we have f.i. C. vicina, C. guentheri, C. hoodensis and C. porteri.

    C. elephantopus is used for the species from Floreana. And to the best of my knowledge no representatives of this species nor C. hoodensis now remain abroad - that is ... outside the Galapagos islands -.

    NOTA BENE: C. elephantopus has recently been demonstrated to persist in hybrid tortoises at both the Santa Cruz breeding center and on Northern Isabela (Albemarle .. in the Anglo Saxon vernacular, but I prefer to use the Spanish names as Ecuador is Latino speaking for easy reference) and an estimated 40 of this species are thought to remain on northern Cerro Wolf, Isabela.

    NOTA BENE II: In more or less the same localities on Cerro Wolf, Isabela hybrids of C. abingdonii persist where the parentage must have been C. abongdonii tortoises having lived and bred on Isabela.

    Both examples are due in no undue part to out-shipping by sailors poaching giant tortoises for the long journeys to US, Asian and European ports.


    On the whole, my understanding of Galapagos tortoise imports outside of the Galapagos islands is that most were taken from northern / middle Isabela and / or Santa Cruz islands and thus belong to either C. becki, C. guentheri, C. vicina and C. microphyes and for the Santa Cruzs just C. porteri. The highest takings have been from Santa Cruz and the porteri group, followed to a lesser extent by both C. vicina and C. guentheri.


    Only very few specimens / individuals were collected from any other Galapagos giant tortoise species. One notable exception was a C. eppiphium that ended up in Zoo Koeln and from there was transferred with another male (I think this was the C. porteri species) to Zoologicka Zahrada Praha.

    This - for our US attendance whose collecting expeditions have been the most thorough both in live and killed giant tortoises - includes all the collections from the 1928 Townsend Expedition!!!
     
  2. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  3. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  4. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  5. jay

    jay Well-Known Member 20+ year member

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    The two pregnant rhinos are mother and daughter, the older female has dominated the breeding program. would like to see some of the other females breeding, particularly having daughters.
     
  6. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Agreed, but are not most if not all well at the end of their breeding life span?

    Apart from the most successful breeding female Kalungwezi, the only other successful breeding females at Dubbo have been Pepe Kalle (2003 - InDuna) and Dongajuma (2004 - Sentwali).

    The calves of Pepe Kalle and Dongajuma are both now at Monarto.

    Incidentally: which black rhinos still reside at Dubbo?
    My headcount comes to 5.6.
     
  7. Jarkari

    Jarkari Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    If successful this will be Bakhita's second calf.
     
  8. jay

    jay Well-Known Member 20+ year member

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    I suppose that they must be, as Bakhita is the only female of her generation I wonder if the zoo is looking at obtaining other females from somewhere else? Fossil Rim and Abiline zoos have had successful breeding peograms I understand.
     
  9. Jarkari

    Jarkari Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  10. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    baby giraffe: Taronga Zoo welcomes baby giraffe | Photos | Daily Liberal

     
  11. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  12. jay

    jay Well-Known Member 20+ year member

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  13. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    I can't find any references to the name of the male. They have like eight of them though I think - do they only breed from one, or do they take turns?
     
  14. jay

    jay Well-Known Member 20+ year member

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    They us to only breed from one as many of the males are the sons of the females. A rothschilds born at Melbourne zoo used to be their breeding male. That was a number of years ago though and I know he sired quite a lot of calves.
     
  15. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  16. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  17. PAT

    PAT Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Does anyone know why there was such a big break between births? Have they been kept together but nothing has happened or have they been kept separate this whole time?
     
  18. jay

    jay Well-Known Member 20+ year member

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    Maybe there's still hope for hippos in the region
     
  19. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    This is terrific news for the zoo and the region as a whole, what would be the preferred sex of the calf?
     
  20. Astrobird

    Astrobird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    There is only 1 breeding male left in the region, as Werribee's male died recently leaving 4 females.... so another male would be good. Is the mother the one that came from Cairns?